Played 3rd session of 5e. Continues to be clean and has reinvigorated my creativity for both world and scenario design.
Question: Is there a downside for a cleric, etc casting cure wounds while engaged in melee?
I know that casting a ranged spell within 5 ft of a hostile gives disadvantage on attack rolls.
In 3.x I believe the caster provoked an attack of opportunity. I know this is not the case, as discussed in another thread. Am I missing something or is there no penalty as the rules are written.
Thanks
Quote from: Vic99;819105Played 3rd session of 5e. Continues to be clean and has reinvigorated my creativity for both world and scenario design.
Question: Is there a downside for a cleric, etc casting cure wounds while engaged in melee?
I know that casting a ranged spell within 5 ft of a hostile gives disadvantage on attack rolls.
In 3.x I believe the caster provoked an attack of opportunity. I know this is not the case, as discussed in another thread. Am I missing something or is there no penalty as the rules are written.
Thanks
When within 5 ft of a hostile, there is no downside to casting non-attack spells, and disadvantage only on
ranged attack rolls. It's a caster paradise!
Natty Bodak got it in one.
(Granted in DPS terms you've failed because you could be putting out more firepower, end combat faster, and save those Cure Wounds for after combat. With Lay on Hands, Healer feat, or nat 20 Death Save, you bounce back up at 1 HP. Ends up with rather aggro tactics, unless you need to stay someone up to maintain a Concentration spell, but that's another story.)
:p
Unless the spell has a longer casting time than one action. No. No downside to casting in combat unless something tags you with disadvantage.
Example. My warlock was pulled down by a pack of wolves. I am now prone and at disadvantage while the wolves have advantage. Wolves won.
If I was not casting an attack spell then I would not have been at disadvantage.
For Clarity:
Prone
• A prone creature's only movement option is to crawl,
unless it stands up and thereby ends the condition.
• The creature has disadvantage on attack rolls.
• An attack roll against the creature has advantage if the
attacker is within 5 feet of the creature. Otherwise,
the attack roll has disadvantage.
(D&D 5e Basic .pdf, August 2014. p.106)
But this applies to both magic and weapon attacks. Prone is a wonderful melee condition, and one to best end against yourself -- unless you are against volleys of arrows.
And wolves bite attack does... yep... knocks prone of you fail a DC 11 STR check.